The suspect accused of killing three people and injuring a fourth Monday in Washington County will be held without bail as he awaits trail on murder charges.
Sixty-three-year-old Thomas Bonfanti, of Northfield, has been charged in connection with a series of shootings at three houses across the Machias area.
Bonfanti made his initial appearance Wednesday in alais District Court, where a judge agreed to seal court documents at the request of his lawyer, Jeffrey Silverstein.
"It's been my practice that in the smaller communities, once the details of affidavits are published through media and other accounts, they become widely distributed. They become known," Silverstein says. "And it may affect the state's ability and the defendant's ability to have an impartial grand jury assess the matter for indictment purposes."
Authorities have yet to release any details on any potential motive, but Silverstein says that Bonfanti did appear to know the victims.
A prosecutor from the state Attorney General's office declined to comment on the case.
Originally published Feb. 5, 2020 at 12:34 p.m. ET
